DeKALB – DeKalb County received its first deliveries of the COVID-19 vaccine Monday, according to a Tuesday DeKalb County Health Department news release. 

The county received 800 doses for local hospital healthcare personnel as one of the first priority groups, according to the release. Of the 800 vaccines received, 100 doses were received from the Illinois Department of Public Health, and 700 doses were transferred from another local health department. 

The initial allocation for DeKalb County are 100 vaccines allotted by IDPH per week. It is anticipated this number will increase as production of the vaccine increases.

Vaccines for long-term care facilities in DeKalb County may arrive as early as next week, according to the news release. 

Long-term care facilities are also part of Phase 1 priority and DeKalb County is enrolled in a federal program, called the Pharmacy Partnership Program. This program is a direct partnership between long-term care facilities and pharmacies. 

Additional shipments of the vaccine are expected to arrive on a weekly basis, but DeKalb County doesn’t currently have a registration site for vaccines, according to the news release.

It’s anticipated that Phase 1a will take a few months to complete vaccination efforts and the timeline will depend on the future vaccine allotment for the county, according to the news release. 

In preparation for future populations eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, the health department is working with IDPH to implement a state-wide vaccine registration and scheduling tool.